Michelle Obama shares a special message for the International Day of the Girl

Mrs. Obama shared this message below to celebrate the International Day of the Girl and to announce some special news to mark the one year anniversary of the Girls Opportunity Alliance.

Happy International Day of the Girl, everyone!

A year ago today, the Obama Foundation launched the Girls Opportunity Alliance to empower adolescent girls through education.

Michelle Obama raises her arms up with four young girls. All are have different ethnicities and have a range of light to deep skin tones.

This cause is close to my heart. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many inspiring girls from all around the world. From Cambodia and Japan to Morocco and Liberia, I’ve seen the promise unique to each one of them—and the resolve they have inside to get their education. They’re the stories and the smiling faces that have inspired me to keep doing everything I can to lift up these young women so they can fulfill their boundless potential.

Right now, more than 98 million adolescent girls around the world are not in school. These girls are bright and hardworking, and when they have the chance to fulfill their potential with an education, they can transform families, communities, and even entire countries.

We know that when we give these girls a chance to learn, they will seize it. That's why we’ve been working to lift up the grassroots leaders and organizations around the world who empower girls every single day.

A young girl with a warm olive tone stands in front of a field with azelas in the background, wearing a white collared shirt, navy blue skirt with two white stripes at the bottom, a pink backpack, pink shoes, while holding the handles of a pink and white bike with a pink basket on it.

Today, on the Day of the Girl, I'm thrilled to share the news that in December, I'll be traveling to Asia to meet with some of these girls and the organizations that support them. I’ll be going to Vietnam, where the Girls Opportunity Alliance is collaborating with Room to Read (Opens in a new tab) to shine a light on important efforts to empower girls. Together, we hope to equip more girls with the critical skills they need to become leaders of their own lives. I can’t wait to share these incredible stories with you, and I’m excited that the Girls Opportunity Alliance will be teaming up with the Today Show and YouTube Originals to introduce you to the girls we meet along the way.

On the Day of the Girl and beyond, I hope that all of you will find a way to support education for adolescent girls around the world. You don’t have to fly to Vietnam—you can host a bake sale, organize a project with your friends, get your office involved, and so much more.

Check out the projects on the Girls Opportunity Alliance GoFundMe page (Opens in a new tab) and let us know how you’re taking action—because the future of our world is only as bright as our girls.

–Michelle